


I Love You, Hurray

by ImBanky



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, Honoka's birthday, not really shippy but if you believe in yourself it could be, post μ's disbandment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImBanky/pseuds/ImBanky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Honoka finds a surprise waiting for her just when she least expects it, getting to spend more quality time with her former idol group.<br/>What she doesn't know is that they're all determined to make Honoka's 17th birthday the best one yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Love You, Hurray

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't wrote or published anything in a good while, so hopefully this is decent?? I had my friend edit it so shout out to him  
> (I did some research on birthday parties in Japan and what i found said the only real notable difference is that parents plan the party, so i wrote along those lines. If this is inaccurate I apologize!)  
> I also made a mix to go with a certain part of the fanfic, just click the song name provided the link works when it gets there~

Honoka sighed, stepping into the bakery just as the sun began to set. Today was her birthday, and yet, nothing eventful had happened. She had treated herself to a trip to Akiba, using her saved allowance to buy some presents of her own, as well as stopping by a couple shops to reminisce at μ's merchandise.

The bakery was completely silent and still. All the lights had been turned off, the main room illuminated merely by the orange glow pouring through the windows. 

"Mom? Yukiho? I'm back!" Honoka hollered. No response. "Dad? Anyone?"

She dropped her bag on the counter, looking around for any kind of note that could explain if her family had left to run errands while she was busy. 

_ Nothing here, either. Something's not right... _

She dragged her feet up the stairs, checking the various rooms of the house. Everything was quiet and eerily pristine, as if they had cleaned before leaving. 

Finally, she arrived at her own room. She sighed deeply. Things would be better when everyone got home - they were probably out buying last minute presents, after all. Her mom had mentioned the party being held later today, so that had to be it.

She slid open the door to her room, eyes lidded with disappointment as she switched on the lights.

Before she had a chance to register her surroundings, a loud "SURPRISE!" bombarded her, and she squeaked a bit in shock. 

Of course, she had forgotten the potential of a surprise party.

In the center of the room stood her mother and father along with her sister.  Umi, Kotori, Eli's sister Alisa, and the soon-to-be second years - Maki, Rin, and Hanayo - surrounded a small fold-up table, bags here and there.

On the table rested a rectangular cake decorated rather cutely. It was covered in pale white-and-orange cream, decorated with strawberries. 

Honoka couldn't contain her smile as she read the message written on the cake in bright pink.

_ "Happy Birthday, Honoka! Hono-hono-ho! ❤" _

She started giggling uncontrollably. "Hono-hono-ho? Really? Nico, that's such a reach-!"

Maki smirked, chiming in. "She claims she hired someone else to make it for you, but it has her personality written all over it." 

She calmed her fits of laughter, smiling again. "Of course it does. I should call her later."

Honoka's mother waved her hand to get everyone's attention. "Let's all take turns giving wishes and presents so we don't overwhelm her, alright?" 

Everyone nodded, quieting down. 

Alisa stepped forward first. "Big sis is on a trip with miss Nozomi so she couldn't show up, but she made this for you!" The aspiring idol handed Honoka a small black box. She opened it carefully, only to find a slip of paper and a breathtakingly beautiful silver necklace. She picked it up, covering her mouth in shock.

The necklace had a heart locket with _"μ's"_ engraved on the front. Tucked inside was a picture of all nine members standing in a heart formation. 

She read the note attached, trying her best to hold back her sobs.

. 

_ Happy Birthday, Honoka. I'm sorry that Nozomi and I could not make it to be there in person, but we both did our best to make a present that showed our gratitude from the bottom of our hearts. You brought us all together and helped us grow in ways we would have never achieved on our own. _

_ P.S. Do not cry. We're all friends forever - as Nozomi just said as I'm writing this, destiny brought us together in the first place, so our paths are bound to cross again. Our life as school idols may be over, but the bond we all share as a group will live on forever. _

_ P.S.S. Nozomi apologizes for not getting her own gift to give you, so she enchanted the necklace with her "spiritual power" to bring good luck and happiness.  _

_ P.S.S.S. Remember to wipe your eyes and take deep breaths.  _

_- Eli (and Nozomi)_

.

 

Honoka did just as instructed, surprised to find that she had indeed been crying. She took out the necklace and put it on, setting the box and note somewhere safe. 

"Can I do it now, Kayo-chin? Can I?" An energetic voice whined. The student council president turned to see an eager Rin being restrained by a weary Hanayo. 

"You can let her go, Hanayo," Honoka giggled. Rin came flying out of her childhood friend's arms and flinging her own tightly around the former leader. "Yaaay! Happy birthday, Honoka! Thank you so much for believing in me!" She meowed, practically squeezing Honoka to death. 

"I-it's nothing, Rin! We're f-friends, after all!" She assured, her speech closer to gasps rather than a real sentence. 

Hanayo tugged on Rin. "Rin, stop! You'll crush her!" 

Reluctantly, the athlete let go. "Aw! But it was so nice!"

Honoka rubbed the back of her head, chuckling nervously. "Th-thanks, I guess..."

 

After shuffling around in her bag, Hanayo stepped forward again. "I worked really hard on this... so... please enjoy it!" She handed Honoka what appeared to be an origami craft of herself. 

"It's... me?" It was incredibly well done, colored in all the right spots and decently sized, a little larger than both of Honoka's outstretched palms. 

Hanayo nodded quickly. "Y-yes! I worked for many days on it, started over so many times, but I finally did it! I couldn't really think of anything else to make that didn't just seem like someone I liked, s-so I made a tiny you!"

Honoka smiled softly. "I love it, Hanayo. Thank you." 

"I'm glad you like it. And... thank you for helping me be true to myself. Happy birthday," Hanayo beamed. 

 

Maki's eyes widened in realization. "Rin, what did you bring?"

Rin blinked. "Oh, I almost forgot! Sorry!" She mewed. "I brought all of this!" She grabbed a heavy shopping bag from behind her and set it down. 

Honoka squatted and began examining the contents. There were cans of different goods, sweets, and even entire meals. "It's all food!" She gasped.

Rin cackled. "Yep! It's to make up for all the dieting we had to do as idols!"

"Just because you're not an idol anymore doesn't mean you shouldn't try to stay healthy," Umi scolded from beside Kotori. 

"I was just kidding, there's enough for everyone! We can all go downstairs later and chow down. Just thinking about it makes me hungry..." Rin rubbed her stomach dramatically. 

"Rin, aren't you forgetting something else?"  Hanayo reminded gently. 

"Nope, I was just about to get to that!" She shuffled through the bag, pulling out a pair of well-made black cat ears and an orange-tipped tail. "These are for you, Honoka! Happy birthday!"

Honoka put on the ears and laughed after checking her reflection on her phone. "These are so cute, Rin!" 

Maki rolled her eyes. "You two are practically twins."

"Hey, I'd love to be your twin!" Rin announced. 

"Just don't forget she's _my_  sister," said Yukiho sarcastically, although there was a hint of pride in her voice. 

Everyone laughed, simply enjoying the dynamic of everyone in the same room. 

 

"We should call Nico!" Honoka proposed. 

"Why, so she can make it her party?" Maki raised an eyebrow. Her remark went ignored, as Honoka was already dialing Nico's number, and was drowned out when someone suggested she be put on speaker phone, another that they try reaching Eli and Nozomi as well.

 

The call went as almost exactly as expected. Nico, however, was surprisingly sweet from time to time, genuinely thanking Honoka for convincing her to join a group where she had real friends who could deal with her antics. There was more than a little playful snark between Maki and Nico before Yukiho stated the obvious - that they both sounded like an old married couple. Both were left too flustered to respond. 

The rest of the party-goers gave their presents soon after. Honoka's parents had gotten her mostly cliché gifts such as clothes, claiming she'd most likely already bought everything she wanted with her own money.

 

After some persuasion for Maki not to give her gift last, she handed Honoka a special CD with previously unfinished songs that she had completed just for Honoka, to which Honoka teased her for giving something so sentimental.

"D-don't act like it's so special. I just felt that, because you were the one that made μ's a reality, you should be the one to have my songs. Maybe you and Umi can think of some lyrics sometime and do it as a side thing." Maki insisted. 

"I guess we can. What do you think, Umi?"

The archer shrugged. "It won't be the same, you know." 

Honoka smiled. "It doesn't have to be! Just because we aren't idols anymore doesn't mean we should stop singing. People do that all the time!" 

Umi hummed, "I suppose that's true. Maybe Kotori and the first years can join, too. What do you think, everyone?"

"Sounds good to me!" Rin cheered as Hanayo nodded beside her. 

Kotori raised her hand. "I'd like that, too. Singing is fun, after all!"

"Then it's settled. I can give the songs a listen and try to get a feel for them, then maybe we do our own solos," Umi confirmed. 

 

Yukiho and Alisa's presents were more of an announcement than anything. 

"Everyone, Alisa and I have decided - we are DEFINITELY becoming school idols!" Yukiho announced. 

Nobody seemed surprised, Honoka even began to giggle. 

"What's so funny?!" Her sister demanded. 

"You two! You've had this idea for months. But don't worry, I support you both completely. In fact, maybe I can give you lessons!" Honoka proposed, her finger up for extra effect. 

Yukiho gave a sarcastic "Suuure," while Alisa beamed at the idea. 

Yukiho sighed deeply before beginning again. "Happy birthday, sis. You may have your flaws, but you have this inspiring aura about you. It's what made me think I could be an idol to begin with."

 

All the positivity was starting to overwhelm Honoka. "Everyone... thank you, all of you. But I really couldn't have done this without all of you. μ's couldn't have done it without you... I... I know I've said it before, but I love you all so much. I just hope everyone will still support the lot of us in the future." She huffed, attempting to swallow any thoughts she had about crying.  

"I'm sure they will," Kotori reassured. 

Everything was quiet for a few moments before someone's stomach rumbled. 

Rin piped up. "Can we eat now? I haven't eaten since lunch, I'm going to diiiiie..." she groaned dramatically, rolling on the floor. 

"Sure, but let's call up Eli, Nozomi, and Nico again first," Honoka suggested. 

 

Luckily, Eli and Nozomi picked up quickly, happy to hear from everyone else. They started to ask about how the party was going and how everyone was feeling. Eli was soon cutoff  by Rin who was once again complaining of starvation. Nozomi laughed and told her it would only be a few more moments which seemed to satisfy her. 

In her other hand, Honoka dialed Nico on Umi's phone. Nico whined about her beauty sleep being interrupted, but after being called out by Maki, she caved and grew quiet, waiting for everyone to start singing. 

Honoka's mother turned off the lights and lit the candles on the cake - all seventeen, placed in a neat circle in the center of the pastry. 

 

Everyone sang happy birthday, some sang bad intentionally to comically combat Umi and Eli, who put in serious effort. When the song ended, Nozomi chimed in from over the phone, "Alright, now make a wish! Remember to wish with all your heart and soul if you want it to really come true!"

Honoka took a deep breath, closing her eyes and thinking of what she truly wanted. She proceeded to try and blow out the candles, only to succeed in blowing out seven. The others giggled slightly as Nico demanded to know what happened. 

"Go on, try again. It's alright. It gets harder with the more candles you add," Eli encouraged.

Honoka sucked in more air this time, growing much more determined. She blew harder, blowing out the remaining candles and accidentally spitting a bit in the process. 

"Ew, sis!" Yukiho whined, wiping off her arm. 

The room erupted into laughter. 

After everyone settled down, Nico was the first to speak. "So, what did you wish for?"

Kotori grew concerned. "Don't! If you say it, it might not come true!" 

Honoka chuckled. "I've said what I wished for before and it still came true, right? I don't see the problem in it."

Nozomi hummed in agreement. "She has a point." 

"I wished… That we'll always be like this, even if we're far away and on our own paths, and that everyone can achieve their dreams just as we did with μ's." 

"That's just like you," Eli giggled wholeheartedly. 

Everyone nodded in silence, all at peace.

"Alright, alright, time to eat!" Rin cheered. 

 

The group carried on having a great time, eating and laughing. The former third years stayed on call in attempt to join in as best they could. 

Too soon did the former idols begin saying their goodbyes, promising to keep in touch.

Once everyone began to head out and Honoka's family cleaned up, Kotori and Umi approached their friend's mother. 

"Miss Kousaka, may we stay a bit longer? We have a special gift to give Honoka," Umi asked politely.

"What sort of gift might that be?" The older woman questioned. 

"The gift of a song - one that always fits moments like this," Kotori answered.

Honoka's mother smiled softly. "You two certainly put a lot of thought into this. Stay as long as you need."

 

The pair twinkled gladly, going up the stairs to find Honoka. 

She was still organizing from after the party, finding a spot for everything. She looked up at her childhood friends, who were smiling warmly and lovingly. 

"Oh, you guys are still here? What's up?" Honoka questioned, curious.

"We never gave you our present," Umi answered. 

"Hmm? Oh yeah! I guess you didn’t. What is it?"

Umi unlocked her phone, pulling up an instrumental and giving a mutual nod to Kotori before taking a deep breath and pressing play. 

 

Honoka nearly cried for the millionth time that day as the duo began to sing the same very song that μ's sang at graduation - [Aishiteru Banzai](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b119X53kvTU). 

Their voices were in perfect sync, contrasting beautifully. It was evident they practiced a lot just for this moment, making the whole thing even more meaningful. 

It was over too soon, the pair already on the ending portion of the song. 

" _La la la,_

_La la la la la la la..._ "

The song ended as Honoka reached her breaking point, tears streaming down her face. "You guys..." She threw her arms around the two, crying against their shoulders. They held her, patting her back and trying to cry themselves. 

Umi was the first to speak. "Happy birthday, Honoka. No matter what happens, no matter where we go or what friends we lose, the three of use will always stay together, from way back in that first game of hide-and-seek till now and to the end of time." 

"We love you so much. We always will. We're both - no, everyone is so grateful for all you've done. We'll always be here to help and support you whenever you need us," Kotori added, her voice cracking slightly. 

Honoka stepped back, wiping her eyes. "You already have helped me. You two mean so much to me - without you, none of this would have happened." For once she forgot to add "or without any of you," but it didn't seem right in that moment. 

In that moment, she was with the two most important people to her, after what was now the most important birthday she'd ever had. 

She glanced down, unaware that the three of them were suddenly holding hands. 

"...Hey," she sniffled. "You know what would be fun?"

"A sleepover?" Kotori guessed. 

"You two know me so well," she giggled. 

 

And in that moment, on that day, μ's disbanding was no longer thought of as a tragedy to the group. 

No matter what happened, they all cared for each other and could always call anytime to see how one another was doing. 

 

She couldn't wish for anything greater. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i hope there weren't too many typos, or that if there were my friend fixed them - i typed this on my phone so


End file.
